Orange HS wrestler Merlin Senat takes third place at ECT

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Merlin Senat earned the third-place medal in the 106-pound weight class to lead the Orange High School wrestling team at the 45th Essex County Tournament at Richard J. Codey Arena in West Orange Jan. 16-17. 

Senat, a junior seeded No. 2, posted an 11-9 decision win over Livingston’s Aidan Carmody, the No. 4 seed, in the third-place consolation bout.

The Tornadoes also had three wrestlers who earned seventh-place medals. Alfredo Sanchez, a senior seeded eighth, pinned East Side’s Gabriel Tato in 4:54 in the 195-pound weight class, Tashon May, a junior seeded fourth, pinned Belleville’s Jostin Gomez in 5:04 in the 220-puond weight class and Berlinski Israel, a sophomore seeded third, won by injury default over Newark Collegiate’s Tyree Reeves in the 285-pound heavyweight class in the seventh-place consolation bouts.

OHS finished 15th overall in the team standings among the 21 scoring teams. Seton Hall Prep won the team title for the fifth straight year.